Newark's Measure L utility tax defeated by 10 votes

The tally released this afternoon shows that 2,354 residents voted for the measure, but another 2,364 voted against the tax, which would have added a 3.9 percent charge to almost all utility bills in the city.

All the ballots have been counted, but the election will not be certified until later this month, after officials conduct a normal 1 percent audit of all ballots, said Guy Ashley, a spokesman for the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.

City Councilman Alan Nagy, who was re-elected on Tuesday, said the result of measure's rejection by voters will be a loss of jobs.

"The city is going to lose a lot of good people because of this," he said. "It's really sad."

Dean Lewis, a member of the group opposing the measure, was nearly speechless when he saw the results.

"It's very apparent the city is divided on this; it's really incredible," Lewis said.

Lewis and Nagy both said close races like these show the importance of every vote.